I picked up two new lenses for my upcoming trip to India. I was in dire need of a fast, mid range lens and the Canon 50 1.2 fit the bill. I picked up the Canon 40mm 2.8 as well, looking for a cheap, small, discrete, lightweight lens. Some test shots below. I was shooting in small jpeg mode so the quality isn't what it could be. Was more interested in focusing speed and DOF.

A shot from the 50mm. I think this was at 2.5. The depth of field at 1.2 is incredibly narrow. The 40 isn't much larger than the bottom lens and body caps when they are screwed together.

This is the model that was out before the most recent. Got a steal on it getting it used for only $300 from a friend who takes uber good care of his lenses. He was having an aps-c clearance of his old gear and going completely full frame.

Eventually I still want to add either a Zeiss or Sigma 85mm f1.4 and a Zeiss 135mm F1.8. Neither seems likely to happen soon. I am also thinking about upgrading my back a200 to something newer. Sony has a new model, the a58 coming out soon. I plan on going to check on out once they hit stores later this year. yall can check out the a58 here and tell me what you think from what sony rumored so far.

It's a little tricky to use and has an f-stop of around f/22ish. The camera reads it as f/00 and doesn't recognize a lens is attached. It's just a plastic mount with no fancy electronics. Also say goodbye to a useful viewfinder with this attached; you can barely see anything you're shooting. It has 4 manual focus modes: 'Single person', 'Multiple People', 'Huge group of people', and 'Mountains'. I'm using it on a Canon Rebel T3i.

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"The three most beautiful cities in the world are Paris, St. Petersburg & Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh were situated somewhere in the heart of Europe tourists would eagerly journey hundreds of miles out of their way to visit it." The New Yorker Jan. 9, 1989

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"The three most beautiful cities in the world are Paris, St. Petersburg & Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh were situated somewhere in the heart of Europe tourists would eagerly journey hundreds of miles out of their way to visit it." The New Yorker Jan. 9, 1989

One of my buddies has the AF-S Nikkor 200mm f/2. He let me play with it a bit:

It is a very large, heavy lens, and it is also incredibly sharp. These are not studio portraits shot in front of a seamless. These are outdoor natural light portraits taken at our campsite. There are trees, bushes, and other foliage just a few meters behind the subjects in these shots, and as you can see, at f/2 everything melts into a smooth, creamy haze.

Beautiful lens, but not terribly practical, and at $6000 it's not a lens I'll be getting any time soon.

Oh, I guess I should mention I now own the Nikkor 105mm f2.8 Macro lens... Thanks, photoLith! Haha

Aaron (Glowrock)

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"The three most beautiful cities in the world are Paris, St. Petersburg & Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh were situated somewhere in the heart of Europe tourists would eagerly journey hundreds of miles out of their way to visit it." The New Yorker Jan. 9, 1989

You don't own it yet, not til you pay me and I'm letting you have it for cheap as shit, since that lens was basically my rent.

But of course!

Aaron (Glowrock)

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"The three most beautiful cities in the world are Paris, St. Petersburg & Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh were situated somewhere in the heart of Europe tourists would eagerly journey hundreds of miles out of their way to visit it." The New Yorker Jan. 9, 1989

Well, my Canon XSi that has been to Key West to Waikiki and many points between bit the dust. I decided to go with the 60D - so far just snapping shots and getting a feel for it but I'm liking it already:

One of my buddies has the AF-S Nikkor 200mm f/2. He let me play with it a bit:

It is a very large, heavy lens, and it is also incredibly sharp. These are not studio portraits shot in front of a seamless. These are outdoor natural light portraits taken at our campsite. There are trees, bushes, and other foliage just a few meters behind the subjects in these shots, and as you can see, at f/2 everything melts into a smooth, creamy haze.

Beautiful lens, but not terribly practical, and at $6000 it's not a lens I'll be getting any time soon.

Yeah the cream cheese factory is nice but only useful for a professional that specializes in portraits. Not really good for anything else.

Yeah the cream cheese factory is nice but only useful for a professional that specializes in portraits. Not really good for anything else.

I tend to agree. A true professional portrait photographer, sure. No question about it. But in terms of lenses for the semi-pro or enthusiast photographer, I still recommend sticking to the "basics", with perhaps a couple of more exotic lenses for fun/interesting shots...

That being said, those portraits taken with the lens in question were simply sublime!

Aaron (Glowrock)

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"The three most beautiful cities in the world are Paris, St. Petersburg & Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh were situated somewhere in the heart of Europe tourists would eagerly journey hundreds of miles out of their way to visit it." The New Yorker Jan. 9, 1989